This invention relates to counting the number of bits in a word which are set to binary "1".
The software for controlling a computer system generally includes an enormous number of instructions organized in programs or smaller sets of instructions called routines. A routine which may be used in a wide variety of applications may be complex or may be a relatively simple function executed many times within a program.
The performance of the computer system can be largely dependent on the efficiency of the programs executed to control the transmission and receipt of data to and from the different parts of the system. Thus, programmers and systems analysts strive to minimize the number of instructions required to perform a function so that the overall efficiency of the computer system is improved.